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CITY HALL/CONEY ISLAND โ Ferry service expansion to Coney Island and the Rockaways is at the heart of a legislation package that City Councilmembers Justin Brannan (D-47) and Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-31) are pushing, reports Crainโs New York Business.ย The pair of bills would require the city to explore an expansion of the NYC Ferry system along the Rockaway Peninsula and to Coney Island at a time when city officials are considering cost-cutting measures for the ferry system. Brannanโs bill would require the Economic Development Corp. to study the logistics of creating a new NYC Ferry landing in Coney Island with a particular focus on utilizing the Steeplechase Pier near West 16th Street. Similarly, Brooks-Powers is sponsoring a bill requiring the EDC to conduct a feasibility study on building new ferry terminals along the Rockaways. The bills each task the city with finding new locations and establishing new routes, all the while eliminating project costs.
James Wong, the executive director of NYC Ferry at EDC, dismissed the prospect of developing either project, pointing to logistics challenges and cost. A 2021 plan to launch a ferry landing on the Coney Island Creek side of the peninsula was canceled in 2022 due to environmental factors. Officials underestimated the amount of sand migrating into the tidal inlet and the higher cost of dredging.
